Sports

A close first half turned into a strangely-wild second Tuesday night as another chapter of the Vinton-Shellsburg/Benton Community rivalry played out in boys' basketball on the floor of the Garrison Fieldhouse.The important point was that Coach Joe Johnson's Vikings won the game 39-37, but there was a lot more to the game than just that. It was scoreless through the first five minutes of the game before CJ Rickels broke the stalemate with a three-pointer.

These teams continue to amaze me.  Senior night is always bitter sweet, as I have watched these kids grow into great young men and women.  This group is especially hard for me as I have watched most of these kids grow up from grade school and my oldest daughter is part of the group.  I am so proud of these kids and can't wait to see what their future brings.

The Vinton-Shellsburg Vikettes hosted the 10th Annual "Pink Game" for breast cancer awareness Friday night prior to the start of the Vikettes' game against Clear Creek-Amana.See photos HERE!

The annual “Pink Game” will be held at Vinton-Shellsburg High School on January 31, 2020.  The Vikettes will take on the  Clear Creek Amana Clippers .  All breast cancer survivors will get free admission into the game and will also be honored in a small ceremony in between the JV and varsity contests.   Survivors wishing to participate need to be present at 6:45 pm.

Coach Brian Sheston's Vinton-Shellsburg wrestlers had another strong showing Thursday night, closing out their abbreviated home schedule with a triple dual meet at the Garrison Fieldhouse.The Vikings defeated Iowa City Regina 39-15, but fell to Iowa Valley 39-33 and Midland, 42-36. Sophomore 132-pounder Brady Ortner had another solid night, collecting three falls.

By Rob Levis, V-S boys' swimming coachLast night we had a great meet at the CR Washington Patrick Karamitrous invitational.  The team finished a solid 4th out of 9 teams and there were some really nice performances up and down the line-up. The headliner was clearly our 400 Free relay team of Kirtz, Allsup, Allsup and Elwick that took first place while shattering both the meet record and the team record.

Coach Joe Johnson's Vinton-Shellsburg Vikings used a big fourth-quarter rally and a combined 31 points from Sam Griffith and CJ Rickels to grab a much-needed 48-42 WaMaC win over Independence Tuesday night at the Garrison Fieldhouse.Both teams struggled to find the basket in the early going as the Vikes led just 8-6 after one period. They would put the margin to 13-6 midway through the second quarter before the Mustangs charged back with a 14-2 run to take a 20-15 lead into halftime.

 Coach Rich Haisman's Vinton-Shellsburg Vikettes moved to 5-1 in the WaMaC West and 8-5 overall Tuesday night with a 67-32 victory over South Tama in the STC Roundhouse. After a relatively tight first half that saw them up 28-21 at intermission, but a 21-2 run over the course of the third quarter propelled the Vikettes the blowout win.Kayla Griffith led the Vikettes with 10 points, Lucy Howes-Vonstein nine, Taryn Sutton eight, Alyssa Griffith and Brylee Bruce seven each, Davia Herger six, Ashlie Meyer five, Abby Davis and Kalinda Burke four each, Kaitlin Meyer and Sophia Kreutner three apiece and Keira Ott one.

A historic weekend for girls' wrestling in Iowa proved to be an even more historic weekend for a pair of Vinton-Shellsburg wrestlers.Viking girls' wrestlers Amelia Birker and Bailey Weeks both competed in the second annual Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association's Girls' State wrestling tournament at Waverly-Shell Rock High School. After just over 90 entrants last year, over 300 wrestlers competed this year and this was the first time Vinton-Shellsburg had entrants in the tournament.

Coach Brian Sheston's Vinton-Shellsburg wrestlers put on a solid performance Saturday at the North Tama Invitational.In all the Vikings crowned a pair of champions, two-more runners-up and added a third place finish while placing in the other weights they entered. Sophomore Brady Ortner copped the 132-pound title with five falls, capping his day off by pinning Sam Hackett of Waterloo Columbus in 5:48.